This is a true story.
A woman with depression chats openly with a mental health professional she has never met in person. A gentleman attending a multi-national meeting cannot negotiate the steps because of his cerebral palsy, so he “flies” his wheelchair onto the stage where he gives a presentation on the power of modern computing. A lonely, elderly man in the United States spends an evening sharing his feelings with a girlfriend in Chile.
In “virtual space” web visits are truly real and interactive for the first time. The essence of meaningful interaction is a caring conversation, the exchange and sharing of thoughts and emotions through language, which is at the heart of the online community Second Life. While there are limitations, they are of technology, not of imagination and creativity.
Skeptics argue that it is a make believe world, only pixels on a screen, while the ubber geek knows the mechanisms for communication are not virtual; the digital device doesn’t classify input/output as real versus imaginary. The logs of every conversation, every meeting and every training session are stored on her computer. At present virtual worlds are restricted to audio, video, 3D visuals and spoken language … but only for now!
The National Council has setup operations in this “virtual space” through generous donations of time and effort from volunteers. Next week’s “virtual post” features an interview with Jeannedellalune Prudhomme, a former print journalist and an expert in supporting virtual communities in Second Life.
